


The Kids Aren't Alright

by hueue



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:09:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4374884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hueue/pseuds/hueue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the TARDIS turns the Doctor, the Master, and the Rani back to their original Academy Era selves she drops them off at Donna Noble's home and refuses to let them back before they can become friends. Problem is that they don't remember a thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kids Aren't Alright

**Author's Note:**

> I fucking love stories like this so I dug up this old one I wrote from the grave

{one}

How old was this?

The Doctor carefully propped up the metal folding chair he’d been holding against the wood paneled wall, reaching deeper into the back of the clothing rack, pushing aside his old suit jacket and pulling out the scratched wooden box whose golden latch had been reflecting the small bit of light into his eye.

The box wasn’t much, the size of Donna’s (he winced at the thought of her) old jewelry box that was still in her untouched room, gathering dust, but from the circular Gallifreyan that decorated the top of it he guessed that it would be deeper than it appeared. Gingerly he set it down in the middle of his crisscrossed legs running his fingers over the engravings as he read them: KOSCHEI OAKDOWN THETA SIGMAUSHAS.

Even with the annoying lack of  punctuation a tight hold appeared around both of his hearts. This had been theirs, centuries before they had filled this box with the objects they held dearest to them at the time. The Doctor held his breath as he unlocked the box relishing in the click it produced. A note was taped onto the top and the Doctor translated as he went:

_This box belongs to Theta Sigma (Lungbarrow), Koschei (Oakdown), and Ushas (Who even knows?)._

The handwriting changed to a smaller font, Ushas.

_We all donated one of our prized possessions into this box as we all go our separate ways in hopes that we'll remain, at most, friends._

It changed again, messy and barely tangible, his own of course.

_Or more eh, Koschei?_

The Doctor could basically hear the blush in Koschei's voice as the next line changed handwriting again.

_You're such a yaddlefish, Theta_.

His breathing became labored as he rifled through the objects. Among them were an old robe, a few of his first renditions of his beloved screwdriver, the Master's old horn rimmed glasses, and some of the Rani's test tubes and scientific notes. As the Doctor made his way to the bottom, surrounded by memories, he grasped an old photo that was torn in a corner- it showed all three of them in the academy days.

He was in the middle, mid laugh, his constellation of freckles standing out and his then cerulean blue hair a mess. The Master was next to him a blush rising on his cheek which he half hid with his hand, his raven black hair shielded his icy blue eyes and his glasses perched atop his head. The Rani was in the middle of rolling her chocolate brown eyes, her chin length wavy oil colored hair was blown out of the way by the long dead wind, her light brown skin was free of blemishes- no makeup, that was just her.

The Doctor wiped the hot tears off his cheeks, holding the picture to his chest, just rocking slightly and murmuring a song under his breath.

He sat there until he fell asleep, surrounded by past regenerations clothes, ancient memories, and holding a fading memory in his hand. The last thing the Doctor felt was a ghost like hand touching his shoulder and the photo seeming to lift from his fingers.

*

The Doctor was rudely awaken all of the sudden by a hand grabbed his shoulder tightly and dragging him down the red tinted corridor. Blaring alarms rang and cherry red lights swept across the TARDIS so the Doctor couldn't focus on his captor or the person across from him running at the same speed.

From what he could gather from his captors grip, she was female and quite determined to get him to where she wanted him. The TARDIS was crashing which frightened him seeing as it was his only type of companionship these days.

"Where is it?" The other questioned to himself, his voice sounded familiar. He yelled it again, expecting an answer this time.

"I don't know! He's changed everything!" His captor shouted back, her husky voice frantic, her voice was familiar too.  

"Well ask 'im!"

His captor shook him, "Where is it!?"

"What?" His voice sounded weird.

"The console room, Hybrid!" His heart stopped and everything seemed to slow as those words fell from the captors lips, _how could she know that?_

"I-I'm, who ar-"

"CONSOLE. ROOM."

"U-Uh, two lefts!" He managed to choke out still stunned by her previous words.

"Two lefts!" She recited to her partner and soon the three of them were in the red tinted console room surrounded by sparks.

"What did you _do?_ " The male of the two asked the Doctor.

"I don't know! I was asleep!"

" _Typical._ " The female spat releasing his suit jacket. A eruption of white sparks illuminated her face for half a second which was enough for the Doctor to register her feature and put a name to it. Chin length hair, blemish less skin, dark eyes that were she was in the middle of rolling- _Ushas_.

"Ushas!" He exclaimed reaching up to confirm that she was real and he wasn't just hallucinating her as he had done before.

" _Rani._ " the Rani corrected hastily trying to stabilizing the TARDIS. And if that was Rani ( _Ushas,_ his mind corrected as if he couldn't accept that it wasn't her name) then maybe, there was a chance,

"Master…?"

"Glad you noticed me finally, Doctor." His voice wasn't the Master's, no hostile or slight psychopathic undertone, that voice belonged to Koschei. The Doctor pushed himself off the ground and walked over to where the Master ( _Koschei_ , his mind shouted in protest) stood flicking switches that immediately switched themselves back.

"Your bloody machine hates me. Rather kill herself than let me do anything." The Doctor just stood there for a moment waiting for any type of apology before a white hot burst of rage just like the spark erupted inside him and the Doctor punched the Master in his face, hard. The Master wasn't mad, if anything he was surprised, but a dumb grin spread itself across his face before he sprung back up and said,

"I guess Theta finally made it to the party." A blush rose into the Doctor's cheeks and Ushas groaned,

"If you two are done flirting, I'm busy trying to save our arses and I would love some help!" The two boys snapped into action at her words, finding a spot where they could attempt to stabilize the crashing spaceship. The Doctor, for once, searched for whatever would make the ride safer and pulled, flipped, tilted, or tapped it, smiling at the slight differences it made. He looked up to see if the thick black wires that hung from the console threatened to break but he was met with a mop of blue hair blocking his view.

Wait…

_Blue?_

He mentally slapped himself from not noticing it before, the change in his voice, his mind refusing to acknowledge the Master and the Rani as the Master and the Rani.

He was _Theta_.

Just as Rani was Ushas and Master was Koschei.

They were all as they were centuries ago, with no explanation they were back in their bodies before the Time War, before the fall out, before anything.

"Thet-Doctor!" The Master called out apparently having as much trouble calling him that as he had calling him "the Master". "Have you got all the stabilizers on?"

"Yes! You?"

"Yeah!"

"Doctor," the Rani shouted. "go under the console and press the glowing red button it should activate everything!"

"Got it!" The Doctor slipped under the console pushing wires from his line of sight once he got to the center he found a button that was pulsating, he desperately striked it and everything on the TARDIS stopped. The lights disappeared, the siren stopped mid whoop and the three Gallifreyans released a sigh of relief and the Doctor pushed himself from under the console.

" _Well done!_ " A feminine voice congratulated them telepathically. The three of them stood alert again at the sudden mental invasion.

" _Who are you?_ " Ushas's telepathic voice questioned the other.

" _TT35-784-0266-40, Sexy, or TARDIS._ "  The other said spelling out the acronym.

" _TARDIS?_ " The Doctor joined into the psychic conversation.

" _Sexy?_ " That was Koschei.

" _Quiet,_ " Ushas snapped.

" _TARDIS, why exactly are we all here?_ " She asked.

" _And why do we look like this?_ " Koschei added.

" _The answer is quite simple._ " TARDIS said. " _My thief, your Theta, and so many other's Doctor, has been alone far longer than I believe is safe for his personal condition and as his ship I can't let this continue. And when provided with a good enough reason and a tangible manifestation of the past, I've decided to act on it_."

" _Well good job,_ " Koschei said sarcastically. " _We hate it._ " While Ushas turned to the Doctor,

"Personal condition," she echoed in speech, "that means it still happens. You're still a Hy-"

" _Yes, Master._ " The TARDIS interrupted. " _I knew you wouldn't be the most excited with my decision, and that's why I'll be temporarily wiping your memories-_ "

" _What!?_ " All three shouted.

" _-and dropping you off at one of the Doctor's recent companions that still resides in this universe_."

The TARDIS shuddered again and began flight to whatever companion she had chose, taking the reluctant Gallifreyans with her.


End file.
